for dear life

Idioms  

1. Also, for one's life. Desperately, urgently, so as to save one's life. For example, When the boat capsized, I hung on for dear life, or With the dogs chasing them they ran for their lives, or She wanted that vase but I saw it first and hung on to it for dear life. These expressions are sometimes hyperbolic (that is, one's life may not actually be in danger). The first dates from the mid-1800s, the variant from the first half of the 1600s. Also see for the life of one.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

for dear life

Holding on for dear life and finally landing the Green Jacket provided 36-year-old McIlroy with a sense of liberation.

From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026

As Joshua’s jabs began poking through, a wobbly Paul pivoted to a new tactic: hanging on for dear life.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025

White-collar workers are hanging onto their jobs for dear life, spooked by high-profile layoff announcements, the rise of AI and an unforgiving job market for the unemployed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025

Saylor has continually urged investors to “HODL,” or hold on for dear life, an initialism reminding Bitcoin fans to cling to their digital assets for the long term.

From Barron's ● Nov. 24, 2025

I grip the dashiki for dear life as we careen toward the bright purple portal I saw from the windows in Tano’s vanity office.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer